49ers: Elway bets invisible Davis will deliver in Denver

One team’s invisible tight end is another team’s final piece to a Super Bowl season?

The Broncos hope that’s the case with Vernon Davis, whom they acquired in a trade with the 49ers on Monday.

“We just thought with the opportunity to add Vernon, to be able to add him to our roster and as a weapon on the offensive side, was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up," Broncos general manager John Elway told Denver reporters Monday.

Davis’ final season-and-a-half with the 49ers was perplexing and unproductive. He didn’t have a touchdown after the 2014 season opener and collected just 40 catches and 395 yards during his scoreless stretch. In the 19 games before his TD drought began, he had 59 catches, 936 yards and 15 touchdowns.

What happened? Davis’ nosedive was preceded by a contract holdout in which he skipped the 2014 offseason program. And Davis, who has missed four games the past two seasons, did deal with injuries and will turn 32 in January. And Davis, who reportedly called out Colin Kaepernick during a team meeting last month, might not have had the best rapport with his quarterback. After the trade was announced, former 49ers defensive tackle Darnell Dockett congratulated him and said, via Twitter, “I know u happy as s---!”

Whatever the case, Elway was willing to make the move, which will require the Broncos to pay the remaining $2.3 million left on Davis’ salary this season. Davis will be a free agent after the season, meaning Denver could be renting him for their final nine regular-season games and, they hope, a playoff run that will end with Davis returning to Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50.

Elway twice mentioned he thought the compensation was “fair.” The 49ers received sixth-round picks in 2016 and 2017 and gave the Broncos a 2016 seventh-round pick. It will obviously be worth it if Davis quickly picks up the offense, establishes a connection with Peyton Manning and snaps his prolonged funk.

Vernon Davis had six catches for 24 yards in his final games with the 49ers, a 27-6 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Vernon Davis had six catches for 24 yards in his final games with the 49ers, a 27-6 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Photo: Chris Lee / Associated Press

Photo: Chris Lee / Associated Press

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Vernon Davis had six catches for 24 yards in his final games with the 49ers, a 27-6 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Vernon Davis had six catches for 24 yards in his final games with the 49ers, a 27-6 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Photo: Chris Lee / Associated Press

49ers: Elway bets invisible Davis will deliver in Denver

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Below are the highlights of Elway’s meeting with Denver reporters Monday. Thanks to the Broncos PR department for the transcript:

On acquiring Vernon Davis:

JOHN ELWAY: "We're excited to add TE Vernon Davis to the roster. I think that he's a guy that brings great experience, great speed. [He is] a guy that's been a team leader for the [San Francisco 49ers] for a long time. He will be a great addition. I think he's a big weapon for us because of the speed that he has. [He] will add to that with [TE] Virgil [Green] and [TE] Owen [Daniels], as well as [TE] Richard [Gordon]. We've been battling with two tight ends. With Richard, we added a couple weeks ago, and now with Vernon coming aboard, we've got four tight ends. It will give us ability to do a lot of different things. It's another weapon for us offensively. We're excited about the addition. We think that the compensation was fair. We're really excited about it."

On if he will be available to play on Sunday against the Colts:

JE: "Yeah, he should be. We'll see. He'll be here tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes. Obviously it's going to take him a little bit of time to get used to what we're doing. We'd like to get him in there as soon as we can."

On if he has the ability to run the seam route in the red zone:

JE: "Yeah, but I mean I think, also, he's got great speed. I think he's a great mix with the tight ends that we already have. I think the addition was not a subtraction or were worried because of the performance of the tight ends. We just thought with the opportunity to add Vernon, to be able to add him to our roster and as a weapon on the offensive side was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up."

On the timeline of the trade:

JE: "I'd rather not get into that, but it culminated today. Obviously with the trade deadline coming up tomorrow, things get a little busier now. There are still other things going on, so who knows what's going to happen. We're glad that we were able to get the deal done."

On if the team took Davis' contract and locker room fit into account:

JE: “Yeah. I think what we know of Vernon and all the stuff that we've heard of him being a leader with the [49ers] and qualities that he has as a person, I think that he's going to fit perfectly. That was definitely something that we worked on and was important to us.”

On how the move shows the mentality of the organization:

JE: “I think that we're always trying to get better. If we have any opportunities to get better and we think that the compensation is fair, then we're going to do everything that we can to do that. I think that we're not going to mortgage the future to do it, but if we can add to our football team now and feel like it makes us better, we're going to look at all opportunities like that. I know that everyone looks at it as we're trying to win it now and we're all in for now—Vernon is definitely going to come in and help us. As I said, the compensation, we thought, was fair and we'll go from there. We're trying to win from now on, but this will be a big step for us to win this season.”

On if he saw qualities he liked in Davis during joint practices with the 49ers in August:

JE: “I've always liked Vernon. He's always been a guy that's—maybe two or three years ago he had 13 touchdown [catches] and is a guy that can really stretch the field, has tremendous speed and athletic ability. He's one of those guys at tight end that really catches your eye all the time. Especially when they were here this fall, he hadn't slowed down a bit. It made us even feel better about the fact that when we did get to see him and here was here this fall.”